Suspect disarmed sailor in Navy base shooting

Two men were reported dead, a sailor and a civilian, according to base officials. (Source: WAVY/CNN)

Two died aboard the USS Mahan late Monday night. (Source: WAVY/CNN)

NORFOLK, VA (RNN) - A civilian contractor allegedly disarmed a petty officer and then shot him at the Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia late Monday night, according to the Associated Press.

Navy security personnel then shot the suspect. Both men were killed, according to base spokeswoman Terri Davis. The incident happened aboard the destroyer USS Mahan. Neither has been identified.

"I want to be clear that the suspect did not have his own weapon, so that has to be clear. He did not have his own weapon. Did not come onboard the installation with his own gun," Capt. Robert Clark, Commanding Officer, Naval Station Norfolk, said during a news briefing.

Clark also said the civilian suspect was authorized to be on base. Clark said the suspect had a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, allowing access to some secure areas. A background check is required to obtain this clearance.

"Well, Pier 1, we are investigating it. It's a crime scene as we speak, so we will preserve that scene until the investigators are complete [sic], and we will do clean-up and take care of the rest of the sailors on board the ship, make sure they have the counselors that they need and the people that they can talk to," Captain Robert Clark told CNN.

Naval security forces put the station on lockdown for about 45 minutes. With the exception of Pier 1, the station's operations are back to normal.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation, including whether the shooting was a result of a standoff situation.

Located in the Hampton Roads area of the Virginia coast, Naval Station Norfolk is the largest naval complex in the world.

The Mahan carries 250 sailors and officer was commissioned in 1998. The ship had just returned from a deployment lasting about eight months in the Mediterranean Sea as a result of the Syrian crisis, the Virginian-Pilot reported.